Eplan’s first major international event was a resounding success. It drew 1,500 attendees—including customers and partners from 36 countries—to Munich on May 20 and 21. In addition to the public launch of Eplan Copilot and the announcement of the new Eplan Platform 2027, Eplan highlighted the Asset Administration Shell (AAS).
In addition to the presentations on the main stage, visitors were able to get their first hands-on experience with the Eplan Platform 2027—which will be available starting in September—at the Future Lab and the Partner Plaza. Eplan Copilot will be integrated into the platform at that time.
Copilot is designed to make working with the platform easier and further automate many routine tasks. For example, it helps users search for existing schematics or other data and displays them on the screen in their respective context and project. It offers a significant time-saving advantage for new Eplan users, dramatically reducing their learning curve.
As CEO Sebastian Seitz (photo by Sendler) said in his official opening remarks, the new Eplan platform incorporates the implementation of 500 customer requests. In his words, it offers more functionality, clearer structures, and, overall, further acceleration of electrical engineering.
AAS for the digitally connected industry
Eplan and representatives from partner companies Rittal, Phoenix Contact, Siemens, Zahnen Technik, and Heitec on the panel at the main stage (Photo: Sendler)
Dr. Marco Litto, Senior VP Strategy and Corporate Program
In the subsequent panel discussion with representatives from partner companies Rittal, Phoenix Contact, Siemens, Zahnen Technik, and Heitec, Dr. Marco Litto (photo: Sendler) presented another highlight that is expected to bring about a breakthrough in the long-awaited realization of a key promise of Industry 4.0: the use of the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) for the digitally connected industry.
The AAS is an international standard developed by the Industry 4.0 Platform for a container in which all data pertaining to a product can be stored and made available within industrial value chains. Eplan supports this with the Eplan Data Portal, where the AAS from now 500 participating industrial companies can be stored.
The goal is for all links in a supply chain to be able to access accurate, up-to-date data on components and parts at any time as soon as possible, regardless of how or with what software they were generated. The panel participants are already on board.